A new species of spider has been found hiding in California’s coastal sand dunes.
About the size of a US quarter (around 2.5 cm), the stout, brown arachnid is a type of trapdoor spider.
These elusive tarantula relatives get their name from the females, who spend their entire lives hidden underground in burrows. The silk-lined holes are sealed with a camouflaged hinged door, which the spiders burst through to snatch prey that wanders too close.
The newly identified species, described in a study published in Ecology and Evolution, has been named Aptostichus ramirezae, after renowned arachnologist Martina Giselle Ramirez.
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Aptostichus ramirezae is a close relative of Aptostichus simus, another species found along the coast of California. Though they may look the same, the researchers say that their DNA, as well as their distribution, proves that they are indeed two separate species.
The new discovery brings the number of dune-dwelling trapdoor spiders in California to four, says co-author of the study, Emma Jochim from the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) Department of Entomology and Nematology. “The one we were looking at as part of this study was the most widespread, ranging from Moss Landing near Monterey down to Baja California – which is a pretty wide range for a trapdoor spider, given that they don’t easily leave their burrows to disperse.”
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Senior author of the study, Jason Bond, also from the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, explains that “While there are over 50,000 species of spiders worldwide, there are probably hundreds of thousands left to be discovered, even along the coast where new spider species may be hiding just underfoot of California beachgoers.”
The prospect of discovering more new species excites the the researchers, yet they also warn that coastal spiders such as Aptostichus simus and Aptostichus ramirezae are at risk, with development, erosion, wildfire and sea-level rise all threatening to shrink their habitat.
“They’re definitely at risk, especially the lineage Aptostichus simus,” explains Jochim. “The new species has a much wider range, but Aptostichus simus is now really only found in San Diego, and projections for sea-level rise in that area are very grim. These spiders are not really able to adapt that quickly to new habitats.”
Jochim says it’s important to understand genetic differences between spider species because it helps conservationists figure out which populations most need protection.
Top image: Monterey, California. Credit: Getty
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